The Most Dangerous Viruses for PC
At Sabda Tech, we always alert you to the most dangerous viruses for PCs so that you know them and understand the importance of protecting yourself. So if you want to know everything about them, do not miss what we tell you below.
What are the most dangerous viruses for the PC?
Morris Worm
This virus arose in 1988. It was one of the first and most dangerous viruses, and from it, other self-replicating malware arose. According to the data, it is estimated that it infected 60,000 computers. As for its use, it caused computers to slow down and created new and unusual processes, rendering computers practically useless.
According to its creator, Robert Tappan Morris, this virus was not programmed to cause serious damage but to help speed up certain processes and fix errors. Of course, a bug in the code changed things, making it difficult to eradicate. $1,000,000, along with the losses generated.
ICH/Chernobyl
This virus was born in the year 1998. Its name is not by chance, since it coincided with the date of the nuclear accident.
Regarding its operation, this virus attacked executable files in Windows 95 and 98. From there, it spread all over the hard drive. The worst part is that it deleted the information on the PC and damaged the BIOS, leaving the computer K.O. In fact, it was one of the most dangerous viruses and broke 60,000 PCs, also causing serious losses.
Melissa
A year later, in 1999, this virus emerged for PCs. It applied social engineering techniques to deceive users through mass mailings. She was easily relatable by the subject line, which read, “Here is the document you asked for… Do not show it to anyone”. This caused a lot of interest among users, because everyone believed that it had been sent to them in the wrong way and was curious to see it.
But this was not all, because after reading it, it was sent to the first 50 users of the contact list.
I love you
This virus for PC of the 2000s It was one of the most dangerous in history. The subject of the email said I love you” and in its content was a message of “love letter for you”. Being such a striking name, the user clicked to enter and see what was inside, in case it was a declaration of love.
But of course it had little love, because when it was opened, it was in charge of executing a virus that replaced the files on the PC with copies. Then she downloaded a Trojan to steal the data. The most surprising thing is that it even came to affect large institutions, such as the Pentagon.
Code Red
A year later, in 2001, this dangerous virus arose for PCs. It attacked Windows NT or 2000 where Microsoft’s IIS was running, replicating the system. Then, it would attack the IDQ.DLL file and do chaining of characters repeated many times until you ran your own code and infected the victim’s computer. The worst thing is that the antivirus programs of the moment are not capable of detecting them.
Mydoom
This virus appeared in the year 2004. According to Microsoft, it was the most destructive virus of all. It worked in such a way that it attacked sectors or hard drives, leaving the computers ko, since there was no way to recover that information.
Sasser
Also in the year 2004, this virus emerged, which was postulated to be “the most harmful virus of all in 2004. It spread via the executable lsass.exe on Windows and managed to create an LSASS security hole. W32/Sasser.worm. Then, it would cause the computer to restart continuously, especially with Windows XP.
Conficker
Four years later, in 2008, this virus emerged. Installs a trojan It affects the PC and then spreads. It also collected data and infected other files.
Its boom was such that Microsoft even offered a lot of money to find the person responsible, but it never appeared.
Zeus
A year later, in 2009, Zeus emerged as one of the most dangerous viruses for PCs. Regarding his way of proceeding, he captured forms, stealing confidential personal information and bank details from users.
WannaCry
In the year 2017, relatively recently, one of the most dangerous viruses for PCs emerged. In fact, to this day, it is considered one of the last major mass attacks directed at companies.
It is more of a ransomware type. It encrypts the data so that the user cannot access it, causing an extortion-type attack. That is, the victim is asked for a financial ransom to pay in exchange for recovering their data.
Fake Windows Updates (Hidden Ransomware)
In the last year, this type of virus has become common. The user is told that they have urgent updates to their operating system. It’s a .exe file of ransomware in disguise that encrypts files. and demands a payment in exchange for getting them back.
Related: Trends in Cybersecurity 2023.
How to protect yourself?
This information about all the most dangerous viruses and their year for PC will help you go one step ahead, since when you know them, you will know how to identify them.
In addition, we recommend making backup copies of Cloud Copy on your PC periodically so that your valuable information is safe.